Automatic musical instrument.



No. 877,125. PATENTED JAN. 21, 1908.

A. A. ROSE.- AUTOMATIG MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

APPLICATION FILED PEB.11, 1907.

[NV NTOR.

ATTO EY.

ALFRED A. ROSE, OF BELLEVUE, KENTUCKY.

AUTOMATIC IHUSICAL INSTRUME NT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 21, 1908.

Application filed February 11. 1907. Serial No. 356.754-

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that .l, ALFRED A. ROSE, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Bellevue, in the county of Campbell' and State of Kentucky, have invented certain new and, useful Improvements in Automatic Musical Instruments, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to automatic musical. instruments, the object being to provide a' sel -contained valve chamber in combination with the parts of a mechanism whereby music may be procured automatically, as nearly as possible similar to the music produced, by playing aninstrument manually.

My invention consists in the combination with a musical instrument having a vacuum reservoir and means for producing a vacuum in said reservoir, a pneumatic beater adapted to act upon said instrument and a connection between said pneumatic heater and said vacuum reservoir, a valve interposed in said connection, so constructed and sup orted as to be easily removed and replace as will hereinafter be more fully described.

In the drawing: Figure 1 is a partial front elevation of my invention. Fig. 2 is a section of same on the line :c-a: of Fig. 1, representing the valve in the act of opening. Fig. 3 is a partial perspective view of my invention from the front in which one of the pneumatic heaters is represented striking one of the wires. Fig. 4 is a partial perspective view of my invention from the rear. Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional view of my in-. vention on a line corresponding to ;y-'y of Fig. 3, the valve-being shown in closed or normal position. Fig. 6 is a detail perspcc-, tive view of the valve and its stem. Fig. is a detail lower plan view of the valvechamber cap. Fig. 8 is a detail plan view ofthe valve chamber withth'e cap removed.

As I illustrate theapplication of my in vention the frame 1. has the strings 2 suitably stretched thereon, and in. front of said -strings 2'extending horizontally is a vacuum chamber'3.J The vacuum chamber3 is provided with the suction hose 4 whereby it, may be connected -'to a pump or bellows adapted to exhaust the air from said vacuumchamber 3 and to maintain .a continuous vacuum therein. Extending upward from the rear of said vacuum chamber 3 is the frame 5, upon the transverse portion 6 of which are. mounted the pneumatic heaters 7. Each pneumlaticbeater? consists of a bellows 8 normally held open by a spiral spring 9 in the lower portion thereof and a flexible stem 10 upon the up er end of which is mounted the head 11. he bellows 8 is preferably constructed with the wedge-shaped back 12 which when it is attached to the transverse portion 6 of the frame 5 has its rearward side 13 vertical while the forward or inner side 14 is inclined. The sides 15 of the bellows 8 are so proportioned thatwhen the bellows 8 is caused to assume its open position by means of the spring 9, as well, as by the pressure of the atmosphere, the front 1.6 of said bellows 8 will incline in the o posite direction at an equal angle to that ol the inclination of the side 1+1. The flexible stem 10, being connected to the front 16 parallel thereto will thus be adapted to normally assuine a position whereby the head 11 is maintained at a. proper distance fromthe wire 2 to attain the desired momentum when the bellows 8 is collapsed.

Forward of the bellows 8 is the valve chamber 17 having the vertical tube 18 ex tending downward and opening into the interior of the vacuum chamber 3, this verticaltube 18 forming the support'for said valve chamber 17. The valve chamber 17 also has the horizontal tube 19 extending rearwardly and the lower part of the back 12 of the bellows S is provided with the opening 20. Leading from the opening 20 to the horizontal tube 19 is the flexible tube 21. An opening is thus formerl leading from the interior of the bellows to the interior of the valve chamber 17 and from there to the interior of the vacuum chamber 3. The cap 22 of the valve chamber 17 is screwed onto said'valvc chamber as at 23 and has the centrally located opening "24. The ca 22 is so formed that it has the downwarlv facing annular valve seat 25 surrounding the opening 24 and the bottom 26 of the valve ClltIIlber. 17 issimilarly formed so that it has the upwardly facing annular valve seat 27 sur rounding the opening 28 which leads into the vertical tube 18. Both the openings 24 and 28 have extending diametrically across them the valve stem guides 29 and 30, respectively, and extending vertically through the openings 31 and 32, respectively, in said guides is thevalve stem 33. The valve stem 33 has mounted upon the valve chamber 17 the cylindrical valve 34. Preferably said valve 34 is formed with the central portion 35 of lead or other heavy substance which central a i .stem' 1.011s .such that the head 11,v by 'its momentum-and, by the momentum o1 the respectively.

interior of the vacuum reservoir 3 by'the diaphragm 44 and having the horizontally extending opening 45'from which leads the flexible tube 46 to the tracker-board 47 ,the tube 46 there opening to the atmosphere. The diaphragm valve chamber 17 is mounted over andin fender 50 is su ported in a alinementwith said diaphragm 44 and the shield 48.. The foot of the valve stem 33 is thus adapted to normally occupy a posi' tion near'to the diaphragm 44 forengagement thereby, the contact coming between theshield 48 on the diaphragm'44 and the cushion 41 on 'thefoot 40;

The head 11 of the pneumatic heater 8 is preferably provided with the'cushion 49. and

mounted on (the frame 5 is an additional transverse portion or fender 50 which is preferably provided'with the cushion 51. This osition with reference to the f ead 11 such t at when the bellows 8 is colla'psed', bringing. the head 11' toward the string 2, the flexible stem 10 will.

comein contact with the cushion 51. on the fender 50 before thehead 11 has reached the string). However, the flexibility of the upper portion of the stem 10 which is bent over the fender 50, is carried onward so that the head llj'strike's the string 2 with the cushion 49-. .1 Immediately upon theQhead 11' thus strikin the'strin .2 the elasticity of the stem-10 wi causert e head 11 to recede from the 'string'and having lost its momen- -tumth'e'; head 11 will be prevented from the cushion 51 on the fender r The dambetween it and thebac further coming in contact with the string 2 to interfere with-the sound produced by the vibration of. said string. The damper 52 provided'with the cushion 53 is mounted on the lower end of thelever '54 pivoted at 5.5 on therearward side 13 of the back-12. The lever 54 extends upward and forward over the top. of the back 12'and has a'face' 56 adapted to be engaged iby the stem 10 beforesaid stem 10 has come in contact with" per' 52 has its cushion 53 normally held incontact with the strin 2 by being heldn backward by the spiral s ring; 57 compressed The pump or bellows connected .to the vacuum chamber 3 by means of the suction hose 4 must be of sufiicient capacity to at all times maintain a thorough vacuum with m the'vacuum chamber'3 as well as to' quickly pneumatic heaters 11 .44 preferablv is provided- 5 h the centrally located shield'48 an dthe 34 by means of at'any time produce. additional vacuum in any one or more of the bellows 8 of the 7 This suction also causes the diaphragm 44 to rise when the. opening of the tube 46 permits the pressure 0 the atmosphereto act on the under-side of said diaphragm withinthe circular opening 43. The openingaand closing of the tube 46 is controlle by means of the music web '58 carried over it on the rolls 59 and 60.

A complete set of parts, as above described and as best illustrated in Fig. 2 of the draw 'ing, is provided for each string on the instrument to be played. The tracker-board 47 is made of a convenient length, the openings 61 therein a'rebrought conveniently near together and the tubes 46,.lead to the openings 61 The music wieb 58 passing over the tracker-board 47 has openings arranged in ositions corresponding to the apertures 61 in the tracker-board 47 whereby the music web 58is adapted to open and close said tubes 46 to the pressure of the atmosphere. Then when the tube 46 is o ened to the atmosphere the diaphragm 44 W1 l rise, raising the valve its valve stem 33. This forces said valve away from the lower annular valve seat 27 against the'upper annular valve seat 25, closing the valve chamber 17 to. the atmosphere, to which it is normally open by means of the opening 24. I At the same time it opens valve chamber 17 to the interior of the vacuum chamber 3, the suction through the suction hose 4 being of ample capacity, a vacuum will immediately be produced within the bellows 8 of the pneumatic heater 7 which communicates with the valve chamber 17, thus' causing the bellows 8 to collapse. The stem 10 bearing on its upper end the'he'ad 11 is brought forcibly toward the string 2 and strikes the face 56 of the lever 54 causing the damper 52 to'recede fromthe string 2 so that thestring 2 is free to vibrate. Immediately afterward the stem 10 strikes the cushion 51 on the fender 50 and beingv flexible permits the head 11 to strike the string 2 with its cushion49 causing said string'Z to vibrate. It then, immediately; owing .to. its elasticity; causes the headyll with its cushion49 to recede from the string 2.- The parts then remain in the positions thuj s' assumed, until the tube 46 is again closed. In thesepositions the'head 11 and its cushion 49 and the damper 52 with its cushion 53will be away from the string 2 so .that the full vibration, and the consequent tone is produced. As soon as the tube 46 is again closed to the .atmosphere the suction in the vacuum chamber 3Iwill exhaust the air from the tube 46 through the breathe hole 62 sufficiently to allow the diaphragm 44 to tall and permit the valve 34 to regain its lower seat 27 thus closing the valve chamber 17 to the vacuum chamber 3 and preventing the suction from acting further upon the pneumatic beater 7 The spiral spring 9 will act to open the bellows 8 and the head 11 will regain its former position away from the string 2. As the bellows 8 expands the stem 10 will leave the face 56 of the lever 54, allowing the spring 57 to force the damper 52 backward with its cushion 53 against the string 2 preventing furthervibration of said string 2.

The above operations take place every time a note is to be struck in the playing of the musical instrument which notes are represented on the music web 58 by the holes 63.

The central portion 35 of the valve 34 is made of heavy material in order to insure its seating quickly without depending entirely upon the suction while the pads 36 and 37 are provided to prevent noise when the valve is operated and the gaskets 3S and 39 are provided to insure air-tight joints with the valve seats 25 and 29, respectively. The cushions 41 and 50 are provided to insure noiseless operation while the cushions 49 and 53 are provided to take up the vibration of the wire 2 when the head 11 and'the damper 52, respectively, are acting. In order that the diaphragms 44 may be given sufficient diameter I prefer to stagger them as well as the valve chamber l7,which would be in alinement with them, in order that the wires 2 may be brought conveniently near together.

The valve chambers 17 are mounted in the vacuum chamber 3 by merely inserting the vertical tube 18 through the openin in the top of said vacuum chamber and heir connections with the pneumatic heaters 7 consisting merely of the elastic tube 21, which may be conveniently removed from the horizontal tube 19, thorough ease of adjustment of the valve 34 and the parts related thereto is secured. Any one of the valve chambers 17 may beremoved without disturbin any other part of the mechanism and the istance between the diaphragm 44 and the foot 40 of the valve stem 33 may be regulated by adjusting said valvestem 33 upward or downward in the valveffie in which it is centrally and frictionally mounted. This may be conveniently done, as it is only necessary to unscrew the cap 22 from the valve chamber 17 and the foot 40 from the valve stem 33 when the valve and stem may be lifted out. The convenience of access for either adjustment or re airs'thus, attained is particularly desirab e in the construction herein set forth,- dispensing as it does, with the necessity of removing any parts other than those requiring attention, anddecrcasing the cost of construction as well as the diilicultiesof maintaining the musical instrument in which it is embodied, in perfect working 'order. It will be seen that the adjustment of the valves in the valve chaniber, individually is facilitated not only by the frictional mounting of the valve upon the valve stem, but by the means of supporting the valve chamber itself, which allows it to be removed from the 'vacuum chamber bodily and with its operating parts contained therein. This self contained construction of the valve chamber is particularly desirable where the individual valve chambers are necessarily numerous, as in an instrument of the character described herein. The cylindrical and otherwise symmetrical formation of the parts constituting the valve and chamher also permit it to be economically and accurately produced, securing the advantages above enumerated, due to the individual and independent valve chambers, without entailing the increased cost of production and difliculty of maintenance attendant upon the use of a large number 01 intendependent parts that would make it necessary to remove all, separately, to allow access to one of them. The joints between the various parts when properly adjusted may be held firmly by means of shellac orsimilar material, thus insuring rigidity and tightness of said joints.

lVhile in illustrating and describing the application of my inventiona peculiar construction-of parts isshown, I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself toit but hat I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In an automatic .inusical instrument, the combination with a'vacuumchamber and a pneumatic beater, of a cylindrical valve chamber, a connection on said valve chamber leading vertically downward to said vacuum chamber and forming the onl r support for said'valve chamber, a connection leading horizontally from said valve chamber, a double seatedvalve in said valve chamber, and a valve stem centrally and frictionally mounted therein, as and for the purposes specified.

2. In an automatic musical instrument, the combination with a vacuum chamber and a pneumatic beater, of a valve chamber, a connectionon said valve chamber leading vertically downward therefrom and forming the only support therefor, and a double seated. vertically reciprocable valve removablyand .adjustably supported. in said valve chamber.

ALFRED A. ROSE. 

